Rotary engine.



No. 726,228. PATENTED APR. 21, 1903. H. L. LEWIS.

ROTARY ENGINE. APPLICATION FILD .TUNE 23, 1902.

2 SHEETS-'SHEET 1.

Q4 mg I """l'l b No. 726,228. PATENTED APR. 21, 1903.

E. L. LEWIS.

ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLIUATION FILED JUNE 23, 1902.

N0 MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Ni'rnn Te Si PAT-Eiwit Fries.

HARRY L. LEWIS, OF PlTTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGN OR OF ONE-HALF TO SAMUEL E. MOORE AND BERNARD CALL, OF PITTSBURG, PENN- SYLVANIA.

ROTARY ENGINE.

SPEGXFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No.- 726,228, dated April 21, 1903. Application nea June z3, 1902. 'serial N0.`112,860.V (No modem To @ZZ whom, it may concern:

Beit known that I, HARRY L. LEWIS, a citizen of the United States, residing 'at Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny'and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in RotaryEngines, of which' My invention is illustrated in the accomy panying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved engine. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view vertically through one of the pistons andV cylinders. Fig. 3 is a sectional view through the steam-chest; and Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section through the shaft on whichthe pistons are mounted, showing the relative positions of the channels or grooves therein which serve as steam exhaust and exit passage-ways.

Reference now being had to the details of the drawings by numerals,1 designates the face of the engine, and 2 represents supports thereon, on which the cylinders 4 rest. Mounted in the ends of said cylinders is a shaft 5,which also passes through a steam-chest 7, mounted on the support 3. Leading into the steamchest is a port and exit or exhaust ports 16. formed longitudinallyin the shaft at positions diametrieally opposite, as shown clearly in the detail sectional view Fig. Ll. These channels are clearly shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings and are provided one for the purpose of allowing steam to be taken to one piston while it is exhausting from the other. Blocks 18 are mounted in the steam-chest at positions diametrically opposite and adjusted by means Said shaft 5 has two channels 5 and 5",-

of screws 18X.' The steam-inlet enters the portion of the steam-chest above the blocks 18,

and exhaust-port 16 leads away from the exhaust-space below said blocks, the course of the steam entering the steam-chest and leaving the same being indicated by arrows in Fig. 3.

Mounted to rotate with the shaft is a piston 3, there being one in each of said steamcylinders, and the circumference of each piston is cam-shaped and terminates abruptly in a shoulder 10X, Fig. 2, and a port 10 leads from one of the channels or grooves 5 in the shaft to and opens through the shoulder 10X, whereby steam is allowed to enter-'the steamchest during a partial rotary movement of the shaft and through which duct and groove steam is allowed to exhaust during the balance of the rotary movement of the cylinder. An impact-slide 11 is mounted with a suitable stem in the head 14: of each steam-cylinder and rides about the cam circumference of the piston, said block 11 and the shoulder .on the piston being the surfaces upon which steam as' it enters through the port 15 will pass into one or the other of the grooves 5' or 5 accordingly as one or the other of said grooves is in communication with the upper portion of the steam-chest. The steam, taking the course followed by the arrows in Fig. 3, will pass through into one cylinder until the communication between the upper portion of the steam-chest and said groove is cut off, which will take place when the entrance to the groove receiving steam passes by one of the blocks 18, and'after th-e entrance to said groove passes by the block the supply of steam is cut od andcommunication is afforded between the exhaust-port of the steamchest and the steam-cylinder, thus allowing the steam which has been expanded within the cylinder to exhaust through the duct 10 and the same groove into the exhaust part of the steam-chest. It will be noted that the same groove in the shaft and the same duct in IOO the piston serve as a passage-'way to conduct the live steam to the steam-chest and exhaust means from the cylinder. By having the two grooves arranged diametrically opposite it will be observed that the force of the steam is constantly acting upon the shaft through the medium of the two steam-pistons.

Having thus fully described niyinvention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

A rotary steam-engine comprising a plurality of steam-cylinders and a steam-chest, a shaft mounted in said cylinders and chest, a piston having a cam periphery positioned in each cylinder and mounted upon and rotating with said shaft, each piston adapted to wipe against the inner circumference of a cylinder, a movable resistance-block mounted to ride upon the circumference of each HARRY L. LEWIS.

In presence of- LoUIs Monsun, M. HUNTER. 

